Naruto Rewritten
by Fenix Maelstrom
Summary: I didn't like how the original Nartuo was done, like many others, so I've decided to rewrite it to fit how I believe it should have gone. It's on hiatus right now, but with enough reviews, I'll start it back up!
1. Chapter 1

It was early afternoon in Konohagakure, the village hidden in the leaves, and a cool breeze was in the air. Many students of the ninja academy were on their lunch break and sitting outside the main campus; one, however, was not present. Under normal circumstances, no one would have noticed his absence, but his Sensei, Iruka, had just left the building looking to speak with him. Iruka was a tall man with dark skin and even darker brown hair; he had been a teacher there the entire time Naruto, his missing pupil, had attended the academy.

As he searched the grounds, he heard cries for the Lord Hokage, the village leader, and knew Naruto had to be involved. He was off in an instant, knowing that he of all people would be able to stop Naruto from whatever nonsense he had been planning this time. Naruto was constantly trying to get the attention of those around him, for his parents were both deceased. He lived in an apartment of his own and, while the Hokage may have considered him a charity case, he worked despite attending school.

Iruka followed the band of ninja to the Great Stone Hokage Faces, a tribute to the four Hokage that had led the village. From the left, the faces were lined it preceding order, from the first Hokage, whom had founded the village, to the fourth Hokage, whom had sacrificed his life to protect the world from a demon.

Sure enough, Naruto appeared to have snuck out of school and was causing more trouble. The faces had been vandalized and defaced; paint had been used to draw ridiculous markings on the faces of the village leaders. One in particular stood out to Iruka, the one of the present Hokage. Naruto had painted tears flowing from the eyes of the Third and blood flowing from both nostrils. As he looked to the Fourth, he noticed a swirl design such as that which was located on the back of Naruto's orange-red jacket.

Iruka walked onto a stone platform that was extended from the street. It was obvious that the extension was added for those who so desired to stare at the faces, which many people happened to do quite frequently. Iruka walked to the rail that was protecting people from falling off the ledge into the canyon and placed one foot on top of it. He looked to his left at the disapproving eyes of the Third and quickly stated, "I'm sorry, honorable Third Hokage, Naruto managed to sneak out of school while I wasn't looking."

The older man looked at Iruka: he must have been over seventy years old, but his energy was amazing. Even at his age, he was considered the strongest in the village, but at the same time, he considered everyone in the village as family to him. Iruka knew that the Third wasn't going to stop Naruto, that he had deliberately allowed him to do this stunt, waiting for one of his teachers to stop him. He also knew that this was Naruto's only real way of expressing how he felt.

Iruka looked up to the Great Stone Faces and the boy that was hovering by a rope in front of them. He was rather impressed that Naruto would go this far, but at the same time disappointed. He looked intently at the small orange figure that was holding the paint and took a deep breath.

"Naruto, you idiot!" he screamed.

Naruto jolted and turned around in horror. The boy was only twelve years old and about four feet tall, but he feared no one…that is, no one but Iruka-sensei. Naruto wouldn't admit it, but he saw Iruka-sensei as a sort of father figure, one of authority that would punish him for any wrong doings. The boy looked at Iruka for a moment, and it was obvious he was looking for the words to say.

"I-Iruka-sensei!" Naruto yelped, surprised that he had noticed he was missing.

"Naruto! What do you think you're doing to the Hokage faces!?" Iruka bellowed back at him.

Nearly half an hour had passed, and both Iruka and Naruto were back at the ninja academy. The classroom they were in resembled that of a college classroom, with no separate desks and benches instead of separate chairs. There were only four rows of these benches, each a layer higher up and a foot or so back from the others. They were separated in the middle so as to create eight benches, each angled as to get a view of the Chuunin instructor in the front center of the room.

There were around twenty students in Iruka's class, including Naruto, and they had only been waiting a few moments before Iruka had returned with a bound Naruto. There were no gasps at the site, merely laughter from everybody in the classroom. Well, everybody, save one: a young girl by the name of Hyuuga Hinata.

Where Naruto was rather broad for his age, Hinata was thin and frail looking; where Naruto's hair was a vibrant blonde, Hinata's was a dark bluish black. In many aspects, they were complete opposites. He had darker skin and rough looking features while she was pale and was the epitome of what a Main Branch heiress should be, feminine. He had bright, cerulean blue eyes, while her eyes were a majestic opal, but being that she was a Hyuuga, she had no pupils. It was a bloodline trait called the Byakugan that caused this: a bloodline trait being a ninjutsu that was developed through the blood and genetics of a specific clan. Her specific bloodline trait had a perceptiveness that was uniquely astounding…it resembled X-ray vision, but had it beat entirely.

Naruto was carried to the front of the classroom, in front of all the laughing faces, and scolded.

"Naruto, don't you ever do something like that again!" Iruka screamed at him.

Naruto looked at Iruka and made a very sour face at him before turning to face another direction.

Iruka's temper exploded. He looked up at everyone in the classroom and said, "Fine, if you're going to be that way, everyone line up, we're going over the basics of the Transformation Jutsu!"

"Aw, man!" several of the students let out with exasperation.

As they lined up, many of the students shot cold glances at Naruto, but this never really bothered him…he was used to it by now. No one had ever praised him or complemented him, only scolded and insulted him. Eventually, he got good at showing a façade that appeared as though he didn't care, but every time he was shot one of those cold glances, he was pushed farther and farther, being forced to the edge or pure hatred. And why shouldn't he be? Everywhere he went, people gave him disgusted glances, as if wanting him to drop dead, right there in the street…as if trying to deny him the right to even exist.

No matter how he tried, there was no growing used to the loneliness. He longed for companionship, for someone that would be there for him. He had never had any family, nor had he any friends…only enemies…only those that wish to deny him happiness.

The first up to perform the transformation jutsu was a girl that Naruto had come to find quite attractive, one Haruno Sakura. She was slightly taller than Naruto and had pink hair that ran half way down her back. She wasn't the most feminine of women and none of her feminine traits had yet developed, but Naruto found her quite attractive, nonetheless. There was only one problem…she was 'in love' with the class ace, Uchiha Sasuke.

But, as he was taking his place in line, he noticed someone he had never really seen before. He was stunned at the fact that she had evaded his gaze thus far, and took a second to recover from his trance. She was absolutely beautiful, even compared to Sakura. Her pale skin and opal eyes completely contrasted her dark hair, which made her look even more radiant.

"Geez, this is a pain," Shikamaru, a boy with a fishnet shirt and hair similar to that of Iruka-sensei's commented towards Naruto, "Why'd you have to go and mess up? It's not fair that we all have to pay for this, thanks a lot Naruto!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever…" Naruto coldly responded.

"Next up, Uzumaki Naruto!" Iruka stated clearly.

Naruto looked forward and took his place in front of Iruka.

"Now, the objective is to create an illusion of me," Iruka said while making some marks on a sheet of paper attached to his clipboard.

"Fine!" Naruto gloated confidently, "Transform!"

A figure stood in front of Iruka, but it wasn't a copy of him, rather, it was a beautiful young woman surrounded with mist. She was completely nude, but it was pretty easy to tell it was just and illusion, because she still had lines on her cheeks, lines that resembled whiskers; and her hair was the same color as Naruto's. But that didn't change a thing; there was a nude woman in front of Iruka! His nose immediately started bleeding and he fell backward.

Naruto changed back to himself and stated proudly, "That's my Sexy Jutsu!"

He was immediately knocked upside the head by Iruka, who had plugged his nose with tissue paper. "Stop creating these stupid Jutsu!" he screamed.

"If it's so stupid, then why did it work on you?" Naruto responded.

"That's it, class dismissed, except for you Naruto!"

Everyone was laughing when they left the room, except for Hinata, who had stayed in her seat until everyone else had left. As the last person left the room, Iruka looked at Hinata, "Is there anything I can help you with Lady Hinata?" he questioned.

"N-no…" she practically whispered as she gathered her things.

Her face had turned a bright red at Iruka's question, but it wasn't because Iruka had addressed her in such a manner, she was used to it, but because at the same time, Naruto had turned his head to look at her. She paused for a moment and looked him in the eyes, but she quickly averted her gaze and her face turned slightly pink.

Naruto was now perplexed. He had noticed her blush, but didn't know what to make of it. He watched her intently, but as she made to leave the room, he averted his gaze. She paused for a second at the doorway, but noticed Naruto had turned his eyes to Iruka, and they were now talking. She considered waiting for him; she wanted to wait for him, to tell him how she felt about him, but knew she wouldn't. She didn't have the confidence she wished she did, but for some reason, when she was around him, she felt she could do anything. She once again considered waiting for him, but when she heard Iruka mention that Naruto was going to have to clean the Hokage's faces of the graffiti, she knew that wouldn't be possible, so she quickly and quietly made her leave.

She headed out of the compound and made her way down the street, glancing back only once to see if Naruto and Iruka were headed to the Great Stone Faces. She returned her gaze forward, but instead of hurrying home like everyone else, she took her time. There were people waiting for her back at the Hyuuga Main Branch's Manor, but none of them really cared about what happened to her. She remembered when a Kunoichi, a female ninja, had arrived at the manor during one of her father's training sessions with her younger sister. The kunoichi told her father that she, Hinata, would be put in constant danger if allowed into the Ninja Academy, that she would be promoted through the ranks eventually and that she would face life and death on a regular basis.

Her father, Hyuuga Hiashi, merely looked at the kunoichi and clearly stated, "You see this young girl before you? This is Hinata's younger sister, Hanabi…five years her junior, and she is still more adept than Hinata! Hinata is superfluous to us as a clan, do with her what you will!"

"Very well then, Lord Hyuuga, I bid you my leave," the kunoichi calmly stated.

But no one had known she was listening to the conversation. Deep in her heart, she hurt horribly. The boy she cared so much for, Uzumaki Naruto, hardly knew she even existed, and her own father told a complete stranger that he didn't care about what happened to her. She didn't want to go home. There were only those that despised her waiting her return.

Before she knew it, she had been walking home for hours, and was standing in front of the Great Stone Faces. It only took half an hour to get home from the Ninja Academy, but she didn't desire to go home, so she had inadvertently led herself to where she knew Naruto would be…but he wasn't there. The paint on the Hokage's faces was now gone and there was no sign of Iruka or Naruto. She walked to the rail and sat her bag down. She looked over the edge, into the canyon, and began to cry. There were so many thoughts coursing through her mind, but most of all, she was lonely. She only wanted to be where Naruto was; she wanted him to hold her in his arms and tell her everything would be alright. She fell to the ground in a slump, her brown jacket covering her petit figure, tears flowing from her eyes and landing on the ground in front of her. She was trying so hard to hold them back, but they just kept coming and coming.

The next thing she knew, she was holding her face in her hands and the tears were rolling down her arms. She didn't want this loneliness to continue, all she wanted was to be in the arms of the person she loved the most.

She felt someone beside her. Whoever it was, they were kneeling and she felt an arm cross her shoulder. No words were spoken, and she didn't even bother opening her eyes; she just wrapped her arms around whoever it was and thrust her head into their chest. The person got down on both knees and got in front of her, holding her in a close embrace. She just continued crying, wailing into the night, but for some reason, the person never asked her what was wrong, and neither of them said a word. She never looked to see who it was…she didn't care, she just felt secure in their arms.

The day was done; the sun was setting, and she had been crying in this person's arms for several minutes. A cool breeze permeated the air and she slowly began to stop crying. She turned her head to lay it sideways on the person's chest, still without opening her eyes. She began to wonder who this person was, but still didn't care. She knew it was a man, probably someone from their school, judging on how small the man's body was, and the fact that he was muscular. She gripped his sides and held on tighter, not wanting to let go, imagining it was Naruto.

Her eyes were puffy from all the crying she had done, and she noticed the man's shirt was soaked from her tears.

"I…" she began in a coarse voice, "I don't want to go home…"

The man wrapped his arms around her and for once, she felt protected…still imagining it to be the man she loved. "Please…" she said as she drifted off from exhaustion, "I just want…him…"

"I wonder who she was talking about…" Naruto thought out loud as he picked Hinata up in his arms, bridal style, "But…I know how it is…"

He slowly began to walk in the direction of the Hyuuga compound, but remember that she said she didn't want to go home; it would be unwise to carry her there, being that more than most of the village hated him anyway. They would probably claim that he attacked her and would have him punished.

"I'm sorry, Hinata, but you'll have to stay at my place tonight…I'd prefer not to be punished for something else that I didn't do…it's risky either way," Naruto whispered to the sleeping Hinata, "Forgive me if this upsets you…"

He turned about and headed back to his apartment, exhaustion slowly overtaking him, but he managed to get there and inside with Hinata in hand. He walked her into his room and laid her out on his bed. He then removed her jacket and her shoes and placed them on the floor beside her. He was about to grab a blanket to throw ever her, but noticed she was trying to grab for someone and, remembering that she had fallen asleep holding him, he grabbed a stuffed frog out of his closet and put it in her arms.

She immediately latched onto it and pulled it close to her and lay there with the frog in her arms, in a fetal position. Naruto looked at her gloomily…he was wondering how bad she'd react when she woke up in his apartment. He was worried that she would say that he kidnapped her. He looked at her once again and removed the thought from his mind. Even if she did, he was sure he could convince the Third Hokage that he would never do such a thing. He grabbed the comforter that he had pulled off the bed and laid it on top of her. He then walked into the den and made his bed on the couch but, before he laid down to sleep, he walked up to his room, and looked at Hinata sadly…knowing that he could never have someone like her; something that hurt more than the constant hatred around him. He slowly closed the door as to refrain from waking her and, as the door finished it's 'click' to assure that it was closed, Hinata grasped the stuffed frog even more tightly and whispered the word, "Naruto…"


	2. Chapter 2

Hinata woke up to the smell of eggs; they smelled really good. She suddenly remembered that she hadn't eaten the night before, and that she had passed out in the arms of a total stranger. She looked around, well, tried to look around, but she couldn't see more than two feet in front of her face; her eyes were practically swollen shut from all the crying she had done the previous day. While she wasn't certain of where she was she knew where she wasn't…she wasn't at the Hyuuga compound. She continued her attempt at looking around, but it wasn't much use. If she wanted to see something, she was going to have to get up and move closer.

As she began to get up, she noticed she was holding something in her arms, "Oh, how cute…" she whispered in a hoarse voice that hardly sounded like hers.

'I guess I really did cry myself to sleep in a stranger's arms' she thought to herself.

She looked down at the stuffed frog and then the thought occurred to her that she must have been given that to sleep with.

"His name is Froggy-chan," a boy's voice called from behind her.

She gasped and turned around to look, but she couldn't make out who it was, even though the voice sounded like Naruto.

'It couldn't be' she thought to herself.

"You can keep him if you want, just…do us both a favor and don't tell anyone that you spent the night here…I don't need the Hyuuga family after my head. I've got the rest of the village to worry about for that…" the man continued.

"F-froggy-chan?" she asked again.

"Yes, you can keep him."

"Thank you…" she whispered, embarrassed.

"What's you're name anyway?" the boy asked.

"Hinata…"

"It's a pretty name, it suits you."

"Thank you…" Hinata blushed again, still not knowing who she was talking to.

"You may not like me after I tell you this…but…you're in my class, you know. I have to admit, though, I never really noticed you until early on yesterday."

"Huh…?"

"You should stop being so timid and quiet…you seem like a nice person, Hinata, but you're always so quiet, it's like you're scared of everyone…"

"Yes, well…I've always been expected to be something I'm not. My father was rather…forceful of the fact, and I've pretty much earned my exile from our clan. I was raised to be quiet…"

"Hinata…" the man practically whispered, "Well, if that does happen, I'd be happy to let you stay here with me…I don't get a lot of company. In fact, you're the first company I've ever had other than old man Hokage."

"Wait, huh?" Hinata asked. Her face went white at the thoughts now coursing through her mind.

"Well, everyone in this village hates me…I was worried that you did too, but with how nice you're being and stuff…I'm guessing I was wrong…I was worried you'd think I kidnapped you or something."

"You…are you?" Hinata's face immediately flushed a deep red.

"Hinata, are you okay?" the voice panicked and ran towards her.

Sure enough, it was who she thought it was. So much blood had rushed to her face that she practically passed out, but he quickly grabbed her before she fell off the bed. He picked her up in his arms and took her into the bathroom. He searched for a washcloth, got it cold and damp, and then placed it on her forehead.

She quickly came to and Naruto ushered her to his kitchen and gave her a plate of eggs while he chowed down on some miso ramen. She looked to him and twiddled her fingers a bit before shyly saying, "You know that eating nothing but ramen isn't very good for you…"

"Yeah, but it's fast, and it's good, and it's cheap," he responded, "And no one's every really tried to stop me. I don't really do much…I just go to school, read and practice a bit of ninjutsu, and then I go and train until I drop…in fact, I don't actually sleep here a whole lot…it's wherever I pass out at usually."

Hinata got a sad look in her eyes and looked down for a moment before finishing her eggs.

"Well, I should probably be going…" Hinata sadly commented.

"Wait!" Naruto almost shouted as Hinata made to get up, "Oh…sorry, I just…go ahead…"

Hinata was quite taken aback by Naruto's reaction; in fact she was quite stunned. He actually wanted her to stay. She blushed and sat back down, a small smile plaguing her lips. Naruto watch her sit back down and was…rather shocked that she actually decided to stay. He thought she hated him as much as everyone else did.

"Well," he continued, "it wouldn't be a good idea to go back to the Hyuuga manor in the condition you're in right now anyway. With your eyes like that and all…"

"Oh…" Hinata said unenthusiastically, "Well, I have my Byakugan…I can see through pretty much anything with it, so it wouldn't be that big of a deal…" Naruto looked slightly defeated. "But I don't think that would be a good idea either…everyone would still wonder why my eyes are like this…"

Naruto stood up and grabbed Hinata's empty plate and took it over to the sink.

"There's no class today…" Naruto stated clearly, "So I want you to stay here for a while and get some rest."

Hinata blushed. "Where would I sleep?" she asked rather quietly.

"Where you slept last night…" Naruto replied, wondering if that was a trick question.

"But that's your bed!"

"It's fine, I'm going to go train today anyway…it just so happens that I know what the final exam is…and I've got to master the technique…"

"But, how do you…?"

"Didn't you hear Iruka-sensei? I've taken this exam twice already…it's the same thing, every time: Bushin no-jutsu…the art of the doppelganger."

Naruto walked over to Hinata and put his hand out; she merely blushed and after a second put out an extremely shaky hand. "What's wrong, Hinata?" Naruto asked, slightly worried, "You're not sick, are you? Maybe I should take you home…"

"No!" Hinata replied quickly, "I'm fine…I'll be fine."

He took her hand and led her to his room. Instantly, Hinata began having romantic thoughts about Naruto, being in his room alone with him only heightened her anxiety. Her face flushed red and she began breathing heavily. Naruto took another look at her before laying her down in his bed.

"Now, you're absolutely certain that you're not sick and don't want to go home?" he double checked.

"I'm fine!" she promised, her voice still stuttering slightly.

"All right…"

Naruto grabbed the damp cloth he had used before and got it wet again. After ringing it out profusely, he returned to his room to see Hinata just about to pass out, holding Froggy-chan. Naruto walked up beside her and placed the damp cloth over her eyes.

Naruto left the house quietly and made sure to lock it as he left.

Hinata awoke with a start a few hours later; she had been having a very interesting nightmare. In it, a large fox had been nursing an eagle because for some reason, this lady eagle was sad. The fox comforted her and brought her back to his den, only wishing to help her, but he had been spotted by the other eagles, and they would do anything to protect one of their own, so they sent out several other birds to attack, and kill the fox. That is where she woke up.

She looked around; she could see again, but she knew something was wrong; Naruto wasn't around. She headed out the door to the training grounds, moving as fast as she could. She had never been to Naruto's house, so she wasn't certain how far she was from the grounds, but she knew she had to hurry…something was wrong.

It took her a few minutes to get to the place where Naruto had been training, but when she heard screams, she stopped and hid behind some trees. Naruto had been tied to a tree stump and was being pummeled by several of the other students.

"So, you think you're ganna be Hokage someday, huh?" one of the larger ones mocked.

"You…better…believe it!" Naruto responded, gasping for air.

"You know, the Hokage could take down even the most elite ninja on his own. He could probably take down ten ninja on his own if he wanted to!" another mocked.

"Yeah, so I've still got some work to do," Naruto half-laughed.

Hinata couldn't really take much more of this; the boy she cared about so much was being practically tortured in front of her.

One of the four Genin that was involved in the act pulled out a kunai.

"I think it's time we had some fun with him…" the boy laughed evilly.

In a quick thrust, the kunai was just in front of Naruto's face. The Genin just smiled an evil smile and placed it on his skin.

"This…is ganna hurt…" the boy laughed.

Naruto gasped as the Kunai began to dig into his cheek, but he never let the Genin know that he was in pain. He merely stared at them intently until he heard someone shout from behind them.

"Let him go!" the girl shouted.

The Genin turned around, almost stunned, but relaxed when they saw it was Hinata.

"Oh," the fourth finally spoke up, "I thought we might be in trouble for a second…go back home little Hyuuga, wouldn't want to have to get you involved in this…"

"I said let him go!" Hinata screamed again, this time much more violently.

The Genin were surprised at this. Hinata Hyuuga never got angry; in fact, she never did anything but shy away.

"Just get out of here Hinata!" Naruto yelled, trying to keep her from getting hurt.

"Oh…I get it now…" the bigger Genin stated, "You're here to protect your little boyfriend!"

Hinata flushed red, but stood her ground.

"Fine!" the bigger Genin attacked Hinata, but before he could do anything, he was on his face.

"Jyuuken," one of the other Genin whispered.

"Alright, everyone attack her at once!" another of the four screamed.

"I don't think so," another voice stated.

A man walked out from behind Naruto and quickly got in front of the Genin.

"M-Master!" two of them stuttered.

"Get out of here now, Hyuuga, and take your friend with you!"

Hinata rushed to Naruto and untied him. He fell to his knees instantly, and Hinata picked him up to his feet.

"Thank you, Hinata…" Naruto said as she helped walk him off.

The entire time, the master of the squad had been watching them, and noticed Hinata's face turn red when Naruto had thanked her.

'So, the Hyuuga girl gets brave and confident when she's around fox-boy…' the man thought to himself, staring intently, 'how interesting…'

Hinata turned to see the man scolding the four Genin, but she also noticed that he kept glancing her way, as if trying to deduce something.


	3. Chapter 3

Hinata brought Naruto back to his place, and stayed the night a second time with him. This time, he was the one in bed, and she was sitting in a chair beside the bed, asleep on his lap.

Naruto came too, early in the morning, knowing it was a school day. He had, on the other hand, not expected to wake up and find a girl asleep on his lap. His face flushed immediately and he began having rather…intimate thoughts about her.

Naruto smacked himself in the head, "She's not interested in you!" he reassured himself.

As if by clockwork, Hinata woke up and turned her face to his, "Oh good, I was worried…" she sleepily stated, "I'm really tired…we don't go to school for a few more hours, so I'm going to get some more sleep…"

Naruto began to get up when he noticed Hinata take off her jacket and shoes. It looked like she was wearing practically nothing underneath but a skin tight shirt and skin tight pants. Naruto made to give her the bed, but she, rather unconsciously, grabbed hold of him and joined him under the blankets. By this time, he was beet red, but didn't dare make a move. Apparently Hinata had been half asleep the entire time and didn't even realize what she had done.

Naruto looked at her intently; she had cuddled up close to him, her petite figure was as nothing compared to his solid one. Even though they were both young, they had developed quite quickly, and it seemed that Hinata drew warmth from Naruto's embrace, so much so that she was smiling as she slept.

Naruto was both happy, and sad. He was happy to share his bed with her; happy that it was her and not someone else, but he knew that she would regret having done this when she awoke, and might not talk to him again. Naruto was afraid of that…he had finally found someone to talk to; finally found a person he could call a friend.

Naruto never did fall back to sleep; he just kinda laid there, waiting for either Hinata to wake up, or for his alarm to go off, saying it's time to get to class. He didn't know what to do. He had a sleeping girl in his arms…in his bed! He didn't actually have any friends, and he also still had an interest in Sakura, though now it had diminished to practically nothing. He had a lot on his mind, and he was still worried how Hinata would react waking up in his arms.

The next few minutes took a very long time to pass. Naruto was really enjoying himself, but at the same time, hating himself. He didn't want her to hate him, but at the same time, he wanted more. He slowly moved his hand up her body to her face.

Naruto hadn't noticed a change in chakra; Hinata felt everything as he moved his hand to her face. She tried to ignore it, so he wouldn't stop, but it was rather difficult. He caressed her cheek and moved his hand to her hair. She slowly opened her eyes and her face turned slightly pink.

He quickly moved his hand away and Hinata jolted up to a sitting position, "W-w-when did I…" she began to say, "I-I-I-I'm sorry, Naruto, I s-s-shouldn't have…"

Naruto had sat up in the exact instant she had, but had been listening intently to her every word, however silent and embarrassed they were.

"I-I-I…" Naruto tried, but for the first time in his life, he was at a loss of words.

"I didn't mind…" he finally said, sounded slightly scared and less confident than before.

"N-Naruto?" she began, "What's wrong, you sound scared."

"I'm not, honestly, it's just…"

"Just what?"

"I was worried that you would get angry or something…"

Hinata turned slightly pink and turned away.

"We should probably get ready for class…" Naruto added after the moment of silence.

"Right!" Hinata agreed, happy the awkward moment had passed.

Naruto jumped out of bed to find that he was only in his boxers.

"Umm…Hinata?" Naruto questioned.

"Oh…sorry, your clothes were dirty so I…" Hinata replied, her fingers getting rather twitchy, "I took the liberty of taking you out of them and putting them in the wash…"

Naruto turned bright red. Not only had she stripped him, but she was doing his laundry!

Hinata was also rather pink now, but not because she was doing Naruto's laundry, but because she had now spent two nights with the boy she was in love with…and this time woke up in his arms. She was on cloud nine.

"Umm…Naruto?" Hinata began.

"Yes, Hinata?" Naruto replied, now as cheery as ever.

"Do you mind…if I stay here for a few more nights? I kinda want to find out a few things…and I don't really want to go home."

"Sure!" Naruto exclaimed so enthusiastically that it made Hinata jump, "But are you sure you want to?"

"Yes…" Hinata replied with a bit of a blush.

"Okay…but so you know, the shower has no door. I never have anyone over, so it's never mattered before, but if you're staying here for a while, don't be surprised if you walk out of the room to my figure behind a curtain."

Hinata turned as red as Naruto had before. The thoughts that were permeating her psyche would have made any man's nose bleed. Naruto looked at her, kinda embarrassedly laughing, but she knew what was on his mind.

"Umm…Naruto?" she endeavored.

"Yes, Hinata?" he responded.

"You should probably get some clothes on; we have to get to class."

Naruto nodded and grabbed a pair of pants, but as he was putting them on, he realized why Hinata was blushing, and he felt his entire body glow a bright red. He finished getting dressed but was still kinda red-faced when he turned back to Hinata's, now fully clothed, figure.

She turned around and faced him, but the thought crossed his mind, 'She doesn't have any of her clothes here, and she can't very well wear the same thing day after day.'  
He looked her over, from head to toe, but noticed her eyes were still a little puffy.

"Hinata, you haven't been crying recently, have you?" he asked sweetly.

"…Yes, I cried myself to sleep last night…" she responded, completely disappointed in herself.

"It's okay, Hinata…"

"What…"

"You don't have to cry anymore, just remember that I'm always here as a shoulder if you need one. If anyone hurts you, they'll have to answer to me."

With that, Hinata blushed. Slowly but surely, her dream of being with Naruto was coming true.

The two made their way to class from Naruto's apartment, walking in silence. It was a few minutes walk to get to the campus, and Naruto was beginning to get rather annoyed with the awkward silence, so he broke the ice.

"Not to sound pressing or anything, but what's it like being a Hyuuga?" he asked.

Hinata was rather taken by this question, but decided to answer it as best she could. "Well," she began, "It's actually really bothersome. I don't like being a Hyuuga. My father treats me like a slave, like my purpose in life is to make the Hyuuga family look good. I have to be the best at everything, but I'm so unconfident in myself that I make mistakes. I fail in everything I do. My father has practically disowned me. He sent me to school here instead of training me entirely by himself, because he doesn't care what happens to me. I may be his daughter, but to him, all I am is unneeded and unwanted."

Naruto couldn't compare himself with her, he couldn't relate. They had grown up to the same result, with different variables. However, instead of showing his lack of confidence, Naruto would constantly gloat about his abilities, even if they were being over exaggerated. Hinata just didn't try at all. She had a family that shunned her. She was rejected by the ones that were supposed to love her the most. Naruto had simply never had someone that cared about him. She had begun to hate herself because she couldn't live up to her families expectations; Naruto had begun to hate everyone else because they hated him.

"Hinata," Naruto began in a very serious tone.

"Y-yes, Naruto?" Hinata replied nervously.

"Stop being so unconfident."

"Wh-what?"

"It's that simple. I know you don't feel like you can live up to your families expectations, but that shouldn't matter to you. I know it does, but start with what you can do, be yourself and love who you are. You are a beautiful person, Hinata…I have learned this over the past few days. You love your family, but you aren't going to be able to live up to anyone's expectations until you love yourself. You have to love yourself for someone to love you."

Hinata was speechless.

"I care about you Hinata. You're the first friend I've ever had…I cherish you more than anything else, because you were willing to give me a chance. That trait is something you never want to lose, but if you wallow is self-pity, you'll lose track of who you really are…and I don't want to see that beautiful person disappear…"

Hinata didn't know what to say or do, and she suddenly stopped walking. Naruto looked at her, and noticed that her eyes had started welling up…so he took her in his arms.

"I don't want to see you cry anymore, Hinata."

Hinata grabbed his jacket and squeezed him tightly to her, crying in his chest all the way. He merely put both arms around her, protectively holding her to him.

Someone had noticed the two of them, however, but didn't much feel like interrupting. Instead, he continued onward in the direction of the school and disappeared.


	4. Chapter 4

Naruto and Hinata made it to school rather early, but stood in the back talking rather than taking their seats. Naruto and Hinata were the only students in the class with assigned seats, and while they could easily sit wherever they wanted, both had already considered the consequences in their own minds.

Naruto was the class troublemaker, so he was ordered by Iruka to sit in the second row from the top, directly in front of Iruka, so he could keep a constant watch on him. Naruto had developed some very interesting stealth skills because of this; even though they were only used for pranks, some were quite ingenious.

Lady Hinata, on the other hand, was a completely different story. Iruka had been given strict orders to have Hinata sit in the back of the room so none of the other students could affect her schoolwork or her personality: the Main Hyuuga Branch had strict codes deterring anyone they considered unfit from talking to the children of the Lord Hyuuga, whether the child was considered superfluous or not. They couldn't allow a revolution to occur between the Main and Cadet Branches of Hyuuga…they had to stick to tradition.

As students entered the room, they noticed something different. No one could really pinpoint it until someone in the back of the room noticed Hinata wasn't at her normal seat. The boy looked around, only to find slight terror at the fact that she was standing in the back of the room talking to Naruto!

"What is she doing talking to that reject?" the boy stated more to himself than anyone else.

"Class!" Iruka hollered above the racket.

The noise in the classroom slowly died and the students began to take their seats.

"Good, now, you all know that today is they day of the final exam!"

Naruto nearly jumped out of his skin. He hadn't practiced his jutsu at all in the past two days, with having met Hinata and all. There was no way for him to pass, not on his worst jutsu.

Naruto was practically having hot flashes. He looked around the room frantically, as if he were looking for some sign that this was a nightmare, but he could find none. He was beginning to shake; he knew there was no chance for him to pass.

"Uzumaki, Naruto!" a voice came from Iruka's office.

Naruto turned white; he knew exactly what was going to happen, but he kept his composure. He at least had his pride.

He walked into Iruka's office and managed to put a face to the voice that had called him. It was a man by the name of Mizuki, another instructor of the Ninja Academy. He was around the same age as Iruka, mid twenties or so, but his hair was a ghost white and his features were a little more threatening than Iruka's.

"As you well know, Naruto, the object is to create three doppelgangers. Begin whenever you are ready," Iruka firmly stated.

Naruto went through a series of hand seals, signs created by the hands that represented animals…these signs were used to trigger chakra flow for specific techniques, and in a moment, Naruto was circled in blue chakra.

"Now behold," Naruto gloated as he began to finish his technique, "Three perfect doubles!"

There was a sound similar to that of metal grinding and smoke filled the air. Where Naruto had stood, there was still just one Naruto, save the pathetic attempt at a doppelganger lying on the floor beside him. It only lasted for a few seconds, and then disappeared with another puff of smoke.

Iruka glared at Naruto and with a sudden burst of anger screamed, "You fail!"

And just as quickly as the class had started, it ended. Naruto was only able to manage one doppelganger, and a very pathetic one at that; he was the only student to fail.

Hinata was outside looking for him, hoping she would find him, but she never did. He had already made his way off the campus to the rooftops…where he was confronted by Mizuki. They sat silently for a moment; then Mizuki spoke up:

"He doesn't hate you, Naruto," Mizuki stated clearly, "He was an orphan as well. He knows what you're going through and he wants you to become strong, that's why he failed you."

"But…" Naruto responded with a melancholy voice, "I really wanted to pass this time…"

Mizuki got an evil look in his eye, but Naruto hadn't noticed; he was looking to the streets at that moment.

"Then," Mizuki stated, "I guess I have no choice but to tell you…"

Hinata was walking towards Naruto's apartment when she noticed several Jounin headed in the same direction. She broke into a run, only to see the Jounin enter through a window and then exit just as quickly.

"Naruto must be apprehended!" the Third shouted to the Ninja he had gathered, "He has stolen the scroll of sealing!"

"This time he's gone too far!" one of the Jounin yelled.

"Yeah, we've got to put an end to this once and for all!" another agreed.

With a wave of his hand, all the Jounin and a few Chunin from the village went in search of Naruto.

'All right' Naruto thought to himself, 'all I have to do is learn one of these secret techniques and Iruka-sensei will have to let me pass!'

The forest was getting darker, but Naruto diligently trained in the first art he had read from the scroll: Kage bushin no Jutsu, the art of the shadow doppelganger.

Only an hour or two had passed when a familiar figure landed, squatting, in front of an exhausted Naruto.

"I found you!" Iruka screamed.

"Ha…ha… I guess you did…" Naruto responded sleepily.

Iruka looked Naruto over once, and noticed that he had been training, and by the looks of it, very hard.

"Say, Naruto, what's with that scroll?" Iruka asked, hoping to find that it was all a misunderstanding.

"Oh, this?" Naruto pointed to the giant scroll on his back, "Mizuki-sensei said that if I could learn one of the techniques from this scroll then you would have to let me pass! So I snuck into old man Hokage's house and took it, just like Mizuki told me."

"Wait…" Iruka asked, confused, "Mizuki…told…you…"

At that moment, several kunai came flying from the trees. "Look out Naruto!" Iruka screamed while shoving Naruto out of the way. Naruto landed with a loud thud, but managed to turn his head and watched as the kunai pelted Iruka over and over.

As fast as it had begun, the assault was over, and several kunai had stuck into the wooden wall of the village, and many had found their way into Iruka's body.

Naruto was confused and dumbfounded, "What the hell?" he screamed, "What's going on?"

"Naruto," Iruka started, "Whatever you do, don't give Mizuki that scroll. He lied to you and got you to steal it from the Hokage just so he could make off with it!"

"Naruto, hand over the scroll!" Mizuki stated, coming from the trees, "Iruka is lying to you, he just doesn't want you to have it!"

"That's not true!" Iruka screamed, "Don't listen to him Naruto!"

"Naruto, haven't you ever wondered why everyone hates you so much? Why no matter where you go, you get cold glances from people; why every day of your life you've been alone and hated?" Mizuki smirked.

Iruka's face went white.

"Don't do it you fool!" Iruka screamed a Mizuki.

"Naruto, for the past twelve years, we of Konoha have been guided under the strictest decree," Mizuki continued.

"What decree?" Naruto asked, not understanding, "I don't remember any decree."

"That because everyone in the village knows of this decree, and we were told not to tell you!"

"What decree, why wasn't I supposed to know?" Naruto asked, now quite scared.

"Because…we were told not to let you know…that…" Mizuki continued, evilly.

"Stop it Mizuki! Don't say it!" Iruka screamed again.

"We were told never to let you know, that you are actually the Nine Tailed Fox Demon that destroyed the village!" Mizuki laughed out, almost hysterically.

Naruto was speechless.

"Everyone hates you!" Mizuki screamed, "Even Iruka here hates you for killing his parents!"

Naruto looked over at Iruka, who was now pulling the kunai out of his body.

"Don't believe him, Naruto!" Iruka gasped out in pain.

"Oh, but it's true!" Mizuki screamed hysterically, "How could he not? You murdered his parents in cold blood!"

Naruto had cracked; he couldn't take it, knowing that he was the cause of the destruction of the village, know that it was he that killed the fourth Hokage. Everyone in the village hated him for something he knew he couldn't have done.

Thoughts were coursing through Naruto's mind a million miles a second and he couldn't take it. His chakra levels were becoming unstable…he was beginning to break.

"Wallow in your hate and misery!" Mizuki screamed, "Now die, little fox!"

Mizuki had removed an enormous shuriken from a strap on his back; it had to be at least a foot wide and an inch thick. He twirled it at almost lightning speeds in his hand before lunging it in Naruto's direction.

Naruto had no idea that Mizuki was attacking him he was in too much misery. The shuriken came closer and closer until Naruto heard it connect with flesh and felt blood. The blood wasn't his own…Master Iruka had jumped in the trajectory of the shuriken. He was on his hands and knees above Naruto who had been forced to lie down. Blood was dripping from one of the stab wounds in his chest and Naruto couldn't help but ask.

"M-master Iruka! Why?"

"It must of hurt…" Iruka began, tears forming in his eyes, "Having no one there to be with you. I remember when my parents were killed…I was so lonely; I became the class prankster. I had no one at home to recognize me, no one there to praise me for the things I had done. I remember how much it hurt, and I turned into the class clown. Maybe it wasn't for my abilities, but I made people laugh…I had attention. It was all I could do to hide my loneliness…I'm sorry, Naruto. If I had been a better sensei, a better me, then maybe it wouldn't have come down to this."

Iruka was crying above Naruto now, but Naruto couldn't take it. He bolted off with the scroll attached to his back.

"Naruto!" Iruka cried out as he took off.

"Did you see the look in his eyes, Iruka?" Mizuki mocked, jumping down from the trees, "That was the look of the Nine Tailed Fox. He's going to use the scroll to take revenge on the village! You know how he is; he gets so set in his ways that you can't hope to change him!"

"You don't know Naruto at all…" Iruka stated calmly, pulling the massive projectile out of his back, grunting as he felt the pressure release.

"Yeah, whatever. I'm going after that scroll. I'll take care of you after I finish off that brat."

"Not if I can help it," Iruka whispered as Mizuki bolted off in the distance.

Naruto was running through the tree-tops, jumping off of every second branch with either his hands or his feet.

"Naruto!" he heard Iruka scream from behind him, "Naruto, give me the scroll! It's what Mizuki's after!"

Naruto stopped jumping through the trees and lunged at Iruka, slamming him in the stomach with his head. Both of them tumbled to the ground and Iruka glanced at Naruto evilly.

"How did you know?" Iruka began, but in a puff of smoke turned into Mizuki, "That it was me?"

Naruto laid back on a nearby tree after removing the scroll and, in a puff of smoke, turned into Iruka.

"Because I'm Iruka!" he laughed triumphantly.

Naruto had been hiding in the forest where they landed, and silently snuck up behind a tree near the two, hoping to catch their conversation.

"Why are you helping the little fox brat anyway, he killed your parents!" Mizuki screamed.

Naruto began listening even more intently.

"You're right…" Iruka muttered.

Naruto broke into a state of depression. 'So Iruka-sensei really does hate me…' he thought to himself, verging on crying.

"I do hate the Fox," Iruka finished, "but not the boy. Not Naruto…he is an excellent student."

Naruto looked up in shock and in joy.

"He works as hard as he can, to the brink of exhaustion practicing his skills. Even so, he makes mistakes, but he learns from them. Everybody has always hated him, so he knows what it is to be in pain. He is no longer the Demon Fox!" Iruka proclaimed, "He is Uzumaki Naruto, a citizen of Konohagakure Village, the Village Hidden in the Leaves!"

Naruto was so happy, he was in tears. Iruka had said that he was an excellent student and was proud of him.

"Fine, be that way!" Mizuki yelled, "I was planning on saving you for last, but what the hell, I'll just take you out right now!"

Mizuki grabbed his remaining shuriken and began twirling it, "Now die!" he screamed.

Just as he had begun to throw the weapon, Naruto had lunged from the trees and connected his knee with Mizuki's jaw, causing him to throw the shuriken into the trees and sending him tumbling.

"If you lay a hand on Master Iruka," Naruto warned in a demonic tone, "I'll kill you!"

Mizuki recovered from the attack and looked Naruto in the eyes.

"Come on then little fox, I could kill you with one technique!"

Naruto threw the scroll to Iruka and placed his fingers in a cross in front of him before shouting, "Anything you do to me, I'll return a thousand fold!"

"Fine, show me what you've got!" Mizuki screamed, but immediately regretted having done so.

"Art of the Shadow Doppelganger: Kage Bushin No Jutsu!" Naruto screamed.

Where there had once been a single opponent facing him, there were now a thousand Narutos surrounding him. They were everywhere: ducking low on the ground, hanging from tree branches, and jumping from the tops of the trees.

Iruka couldn't help but blink over and over…making sure his eyes weren't deceiving him.  
'There are so many of them,' Iruka thought to himself, 'They're not shadowy illusion; they're solid bodies! He always goes on and on about surpassing the Hokage's, and with this kinda power, I believe he might actually do it!'

"What happened?" all the Narutos said at once, "I thought you were ganna attack me, you know, 'take me out in one blow'."

Mizuki started screaming in utter horror.

"Fine," they said, "If you won't attack us, then we'll just have to attack you!"

All you could hear was the sounds of punches landing and Mizuki screaming.

After Naruto beat Mizuki unconscious, Iruka signaled him to come to him.

"Naruto!" Iruka praised, "That was amazing!"

Naruto ran up to Iruka, "Sensei, are you alright?" he asked in genuine concern.

"Yes, I'm fine, but I want you to close your eyes," Iruka laughed, "I've got a surprise for you!"

Naruto closed his eyes and after a few moments, Iruka beckoned him to open them again.

Naruto was now staring at Iruka-sensei, but noticed something was missing. His face seemed a little plain, and after a moment, Naruto was overjoyed. Iruka usually had on a Leaf Headband, a headband with a piece of metal that covered the forehead which had a spiral designed leaf on it, but it was missing. Naruto reached up and touched his forehead, and felt the cold metal of the headband.

"Congratulations, Naruto!" Iruka stated excitedly, "You graduate!"

Naruto went from being happy to being ecstatic. Iruka had begun to say something, but Naruto didn't give him the chance. With a single leap, he pinned Iruka to the tree he had been sitting against and was hugging him as hard as he could muster.

"Ouch, that hurts Naruto!" Iruka laughed.

"Sensei!" Naruto simply responded.

'Naruto, you have a lot ahead of you,' Iruka thought to himself, 'The path of the ninja only gets harder from here…that is what I wanted to tell you, but I guess it would kinda ruin the moment. We can talk about it later…over ramen.'

Hinata had stayed the night at Naruto's place again, but he never came home. She was hoping to help cheer him up about having failed the exam. Tomorrow was her last day at the academy; the day her Jounin Trainer would come to advance her training and begin her missions. She knew she wouldn't be able to see Naruto much anymore. While she was welcome to his home, she wouldn't be in the Ninja academy anymore, and she would be out on missions, sometimes for weeks at a time.

Hinata was slightly scared; she had finally been able to talk to Naruto, but would now be separated from him. She would be constantly facing life and death, raising her abilities, while the one she was in love with would be forced to stay behind. She knew that Naruto wanted more than anything to become a ninja and to become Hokage. She would do anything in her power to help Naruto achieve his dreams.

Suddenly, Hinata was struck with an idea, and she got dressed and headed out. It was late at night, but hopefully Iruka-sensei would be awake. She would have to convince him to give Naruto another shot, no easy task, but she was up for the challenge…anything to help Naruto.

It was a cold night but Hinata could barely feel it. She had been running for a few minutes now, and her body had adjusted its temperature. It was early October, but it felt as though autumn had already ended. There were bright colored leaves strewn across the streets and, since there were no motor driven vehicles in Konohagakure, there were very few obvious paths to travel. After living in Konohagakure for a few months, the roads seem to stand out among other things so Hinata, having been born and raised here, had no problems navigating her way.

Hinata paused for a moment, realizing that she had absolutely no idea where Iruka-sensei lived. She considered her options for a moment and then decided to head to Ichiraku's Ramen shop, Naruto's favorite place to eat. 'It's so unhealthy to eat nothing but Ramen all the time…' Hinata thought to herself. She didn't stop running though, knowing there was a high possibility that she could find either Naruto or Iruka-sensei there. Hinata still didn't know the area around Naruto's house very well, so it took her a little longer than she had expected to reach Ichiraku's.

By the time she arrived, they were almost closed; Naruto was nowhere to be found.

"It must be around midnight…" Hinata thought aloud, "I wonder if Naruto has headed home?"

Ichiraku watched Hinata from a distance, wondering who she was talking to. He was a large man, probably around six feet tall and about three feet wide. He always wore a chef's hat…almost as if hiding his hair.

"That girl…" Ichiraku muttered to himself, "Is really strange…"

He turned around and clicked off the lights to the restaurant and locked the doors.

Hinata turned around and began to make her way back. She had no idea where Iruka-sensei lived and she had no idea where Naruto was, so she had no reason to run. She took her time and enjoyed the cool autumn night, thinking of Naruto the entire way back to his place.

It took her about an hour to get back to Naruto's apartment, but the lights were off and when she went inside, everything was as she had left it.

"Perhaps he passed out during training and is asleep somewhere?" Hinata thought to herself hopefully, "But then, what were those Jounin doing here? Where could Naruto be?"

Hinata closed and locked the door behind her and began getting undressed. She put her clothes in Naruto's washer and started it before walking into the bathroom. She turned on the hot water and got in, still having thoughts coursing through her mind.

She took her time in the shower and didn't get out until the water was cold…nearly forty-five minutes later. When she got out of the shower, she noticed the clothes were done in the wash, so she put them in the dryer and walked over to the window.

"Naruto…" Hinata whispered to herself, looking sadly through the window.

She noticed that he had an excellent view of the village and she couldn't help but take advantage of it. She placed her hands in front of her face and clasped them together, her index and middle fingers on both hands pointing upwards. She closed her eyes and focused her chakra into her eyes.

"Byakugan!" she yelled, releasing the chakra, "The all seeing eye."

She could see everything and through everything. It was a simple task for someone with the Byakugan to fight someone with their back turned; the Byakugan allowed for the user to see in a full three hundred sixty degrees. The Byakugan allowed the user x-ray vision so superior to normal vision, that the user could see several miles away through lead if need be. It allowed the user to see through objects…whether they happen to be people, animals, or structures. She searched and searched for Naruto, but even with her all seeing Byakugan, she couldn't locate him. He was nowhere near her.

She canceled her Byakugan and turned around, looking down in sadness. Hinata instantly turned red. It may have been nearly two in the morning, but she was completely nude. If anyone had looked towards Naruto's apartment, they would have seen her without anything on!

"That would so give people the wrong idea!" Hinata gasped to herself. But then, maybe that was what Hinata wanted all along. She wanted Naruto, heart, mind, and body, and she would give herself in the same manner if he so desired.

"But the idea of people seeing me completely exposed!?" Hinata asked aloud, her entire body flushing red, "…I think I'm going to bed now…"

Hinata made her way to Naruto's bed and laid down to rest; she would hopefully see Naruto in the morning.


	5. Chapter 5

It was just an hour or so before class would normally start that Hinata was awakened. She looked around groggily, knowing that she no longer attended the Ninja academy, but had to be there early to meet her Jounin Instructor.

She noticed Naruto standing over her, shaking her.

"Naruto?" she asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Hey, Hinata, guess what?" he asked, obviously entirely awake.

"What?" Hinata asked sleepily.

Naruto looked extremely excited and pointed to the Leaf Headband that was resting on his forehead.

Hinata followed his fingers to his forehead and saw the headband.

"Yeah…" she calmly stated, closing her eyes again.

Her eyes popped open and forcibly looked at the headband again; her eyes widened in excitement.

She sat up and threw the blanket off her.

"You graduated!" she announced happily.

Naruto was now staring at her body, and she leapt into a hug. Naruto couldn't help himself and he hugged her back.

"But you know what's got that beat?" Naruto laughed sounding slightly perverted.

"Huh? What could be better than you graduating?" she asked, surprised.

"The fact that you decided to congratulate me without any clothes on!" he laughed, releasing the hug.

Hinata looked at Naruto again, and saw his eyes were practically as wide as saucers and that he was staring at her body. She looked down and immediately swept the blanket on top of her and then looked back up to Naruto, who had turned around and was rummaging through some clothes. She was embarrassed, but still pleased, because Naruto was obviously attracted to her body if nothing else.

"Umm…" Hinata began, her face as red as a beet.

"I'm really, really sorry about that Hinata!" Naruto apologized, turning around and bowing with his eyes closed, "I let my desires control me…I shouldn't have!"

Naruto turned back around and grabbed a shirt and a pair of his old shorts; he tossed them on the bed beside Hinata and walked to the door.

"I'll just…stand in the doorway and wait for you to change…" Naruto finished…his face visibly red from the back of his neck.

'Wait…let his desires control him?' Hinata thought to herself, 'Then he does want me…'

Hinata turned slightly pink from the prospect, but thought it best to leave that alone for now. She stood up and let the blanket drop to the floor. Naruto couldn't help it…he had to see what she was doing. He turned his head to glance at her, but wasn't really prepared to see what he saw. She was absolutely gorgeous…she had already put the shorts on and had her arms above her head, allowing the shirt to slide on.

Naruto had a full view of her back, and it only enhanced her radiance. She was pale all over her body apparently, and with the orange glow from the early morning sun, her skin seemed to glow. She looked back and saw Naruto looking at her and smiled as the shirt slid over her body.

"It's a little big…" she stated quietly as she turned around.

Naruto turned about to face her, and what he saw made him smile. She was so innocent looking; the shirt she had borrowed of Naruto's was slightly dangling over one of her shoulders. Naruto couldn't help himself; it was as if it came naturally to him. He walked up to her and pinned her arms to her sides. He looked her adoringly in the eyes and kissed her on the lips. Slowly at first, and then a little hard, getting into it a little more.

As if like lightning, Naruto realized what he was doing, but it seemed as if Hinata didn't mind. She had moved both of her arms around his neck, and in response, Naruto moved his arms around her waist. He couldn't believe what was happening…he was kissing a girl…Hinata of all people!

Hinata was the one to break the kiss, and when she did, she looked Naruto in the eyes. The blue cerulean orbs seemed to radiate nothing but happiness, and she couldn't help but smile. She moved her arms down to the center of his back and put her head into his collarbone.

Naruto moved his arms from her waist and surrounded her with them. He hadn't really noticed how small she was in comparison to him. She must have been at least three inches shorter than he was, putting her at around five feet tall. Either way, those few inches made all the difference; he appeared to be a protective force over her…or at least that was how she felt about it.

Naruto couldn't believe it. He had become a Genin and had had his first kiss both within only hours of the other.

"Where were you last night?" Hinata asked Naruto.

Naruto remembered what had happened with Mizuki and wondered if Hinata, too, knew of his harboring the nine tailed demon fox. He told Hinata the story, word for word, even including the part about the demon fox. He looked at her seriously for a moment and asked if she had known about the fox.

"No…of course not, but the way I see it…" Hinata stated plainly, "That is part of who you are. You control it, it doesn't control you."

Naruto was speechless. She really didn't care about the demon fox, but she couldn't help but avert his gaze.

"Thank you, Hinata…" he whispered to her, "You have no idea what that means to me…"

Hinata looked at Naruto, but she didn't see anything different about him. There was no fox there, only Naruto and even if there was a demon fox that took residence inside him, it had never surfaced before, and she knew that Naruto, with all his strength, would be the one to beat him.


End file.
